A Nandita Roy- Shiboprosad Mukherjee directorial, Aamar Boss is all set to hit the screens on May 9, on the occasion of Mother’s Day. It also marks the comeback of veteran actor Raakhee Gulzar on screen after a hiatus of over two decades. Set against the backdrop of a modern office, it delves into the inter-personal relationships of the employees with their boss and how things change upon the arrival of the boss’ mother. The film also stars Sauraseni Maitra, Srabanti, and others in an ensemble cast. We caught up with Nandita Roy, on the making of the film and more.
Excerpts:
How did you convince Raakhee to be a part of the film?
The onus of convincing her should go to Shibu (Shiboprosad Mukherjee). He convinced her to come over and work with us. But we had an advantage that she had watched our films before and used to love them. In fact, Haami is her favourite; she probably watches it three times a week. So, she knew about us. When we approached her she first said a no. But then slowly, she developed an interest and agreed to do the movie.
Did it take a few trials to convince her?
Once or twice, yes.
Was she always your first choice to play the mother?
Yes, always our first choice.
How did you build up the personality and characters of the mother-son duo played by Raakhee and Shiboprosad?
The personality and character inspiration has come from Shibu’s relationship with his mother. I have seen their beautiful and endearing moments. I was very attracted to that relationship, and it gave me the idea of creating this chemistry between these two characters.
How does the relationship graph between the employees and the boss change when his mother steps in?
The credit should go to the mother who starts changing things in the office because she becomes very close to the employees. A boss does not usually know an employee’s domestic problem or crises. The mother believed that if you don’t know your employees well they will not perform to their optimum. So, if you want to be a good boss, then you have to be personal. They are human beings, too, they are not machines.
But there is also difference of opinions between a child and a mother…
There is, always. In fact you see throughout the film that mother and son don’t agree at all in any of the things. They are at loggerheads with each other. They might fight during the day, but in the evening the mother takes him in her arms and puts him to sleep.
Since the movie is about an office, what is an ideal office environment?
My Office! It’s like a family. Everybody here is so close to each other. We know each and every one and their families. If one of them comes and says that their mother is sick, Shibu would suggest them to visit a certain hospital or doctor and gives them a ring. For me, they are all my children, and I am a mother figure in this office. They are very naughty also. They come up with ridiculous things and I have to keep on forgiving them every time. It’s like a school actually. I run a school here.
What’s the most fun and challenging part of an ensemble cast?
We all become family at once. We all eat and have fun together. Having an ensemble cast is like having a picnic every day.
Music has been a very important part of all your films. How has the music-scape been designed for Aamar Boss?
Usually Shibu is in charge of the music. We sit down with the music directors and discuss the film with them. We give them a brief of the story, situation and suggestions of what we are looking for. So, we might give a similar song reference, or we want a rap or a mood setting. We love music, both of us and can’t imagine a film without any. That is why most of our films don’t go to the Festivals because they say films with songs cannot qualify.
What kind of songs do you listen to?
It depends on the mood and what you want to listen to. My favourite is still old Hindi film songs.
Most of your movies have a social message. Is there any message you want to give through Aamar Boss?
I am not consciously looking to give messages. I make a film where I speak out my heart. Now if people get a message through the narrative and characters then it’s good for all of us. When I make a film, a person should not go home and forget about it. It’s not just popcorns and cold drinks in the hall! There should be some reminiscence of the movie. That makes me very happy.
But through this film I am trying to remind people that a child’s relationship with their parents is very important. With nuclear families today we have the responsibilities of our own children and the parents. Now it has also become compulsory for both husband and wife to earn together. So what you do, find a crèche for the child. But what about your parents? When you cannot look after them, the next option is to enroll them in an old-age home. But my solution to the problem is, if a child can be put in a crèche; why not put the parents in a crèche too. So that they don’t have the feeling of being forsaken and also meet like-minded people and engage in activities. It’s a concept which struck me and I developed it.
Aamar Boss is releasing in theatres near you on May 9